Heavy winds this morning brought one traffic signal crashing to the ground and left another signal dangling four feet above he roadway at the intersection of Courtland Avenue and Glenbrook Road. The intersection remained open with a police car stationed in the roadway. less

Heavy winds this morning brought one traffic signal crashing to the ground and left another signal dangling four feet above he roadway at the intersection of Courtland Avenue and Glenbrook Road. The ... more

Photo: John Nickerson

High winds lash city

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Staff Report

STAMFORD -- Heavy winds, driving rain and a noon high tide caused problems around the city Wednesday.

Traffic lights were blown around and temporarily damaged while one at the corner of Glenbrook Road and Courtland Avenue crashed to the ground, leaving another dangling about four feet above the road just after 9 a.m. Police kept the road open with a cruiser parked in the intersection. Work crews were able to restore the light before noon.

Capt. Brian McElligott said that Cummings Park was flooded a little after noon while Weed Avenue was closed when water rose above the roadway.

Downed trees were reported around the city, some bringing down wires with them. A fallen tree on Long Ridge Road, just north of Old Long Ridge Road, partially blocked the roadway until tree crews removed the hazard, McElligott said.

Falling trees on the Merritt Parkway also slowed traffic. A tree falling in at least one southbound lane near New Canaan Avenue at the height of the high winds at about 10 a.m. struck a vehicle that had minor damage as a result. No injuries were reported in that incident. The tree was too heavy to move by hand and a crew was called to pull it off the roadway.

Another tree fell on a southbound lane of the Merritt Parkway just east of the Stamford-Greenwich border at about 9 a.m. There were no reports that the tree hit any vehicles.

Emergency Management Director Thomas Lombardo said gusts got up to about 40 miles per hour around the city.